by KRISTIN LARMORE
Lifestyles Reporter

With barely two acres of land, P. Loch Hoffman, owner of Beans n’ Berries Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), can provide a lush assortment of 5 to 15 pounds of produce per week.

Hoffman spends his days working in deep clay soil between Asheville and Charlotte in the small town of Connelly Springs.

Beans n’ Berries CSA is open almost all year-round, growing vegetables from all seasons, flavors and colors.

Right now, Hoffman said he is harvesting spinach and onions, and will have lettuce and arugula next, followed by beets.

“I try to grow a little bit of everything,” he said.

From rice paddies to heirloom types of beans and pumpkins to raspberries, there are few things he does not grow.

Hoffman’s grandfather partly inspired his interest in digging in the dirt, telling him to plant the seeds early and late because of unpredictable weather conditions.

Hoffman, who has pursued a living in agriculture for the past six years, said he does not do it for the money.

“You put so much time and effort and money that it financially doesn’t make that much sense to grow your own food,” he said.

If one chooses to invest, he soon spends thousands and has more than he can eat.

“But, I enjoy the heck out of it. It’s keeping me off the street,” he said.

Hoffman’s neighbors pay him a $50 deposit at the beginning of the year, then half again in July, and he promises fresh vegetables until Christmas, aiming to deliver produce 40 weeks a year.

Anyone willing to work hard keeps half of what they pick, which Hoffman believes is an important aspect of community supported agriculture. 

Burke County resident Quez D. Little joined the CSA the first day he drove 10 miles down the road to visit Hoffman’s land to clip some spinach for half a share.

He went “all in,” paying $640 total for the year, which includes $140 for a dozen free-range eggs each week, $500 for the main produce and $100 for the extra greens.

Hoffman only uses about 100 pounds of fertilizer per year.

“No matter how I do it, when they pick it up on a Wednesday afternoon, there will be no chemicals on it,” he said. “That’s what I can guarantee.”

He takes it seriously, but it is more about emotional and physical enjoyment.

“I don’t consider it a business. I’m not a businessman,” he said. “It’s not even a farm. It’s a ‘farmlet.’”

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